During
the Ming and Qing dynasties, the emperor came to the
Temple of Heaven to pay homage to Heaven. The custom
to worship Heaven and the earth came into being
during the Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century - 256 B.C.)
and elaborated into a formal ritual during the Han
and Tang dynasties (618 - 907). In the early 15th
century a temple was built to pay respect to both
heaven and the earth and in the middle of that
century the ceremonies to worship heaven, the earth,
the sun and the moon were conducted at four seperate
temples. The Temple of Heaven was expanded during
the Qing Dynasty and has remained as the largest
complex of temple in China.

The Temple of Heaven has an area of 273
hectares with a layout in two squares one inside the
other. Two walls divide the ground into the outer
and inner parts. The outer wall is 6, 416 meters
long and the inner wall is 3, 292 meters long. The
northern part of the outer and inner walls is a
semicircle and the southern part of them is square,
declining from north to south to symbolize the
traditional belief that Heaven was high and round
and the earth was low and rectangular. Main
structures are located on the ends of a
flagstonepaved central north-south path: from south
to north are the Circular Mound Altar, Imperial
Vault of Heaven, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest
and Huangqian Hall. Auxiliary structures include
Divine Kitchen, Slaughter Pavilion and Palace of
Abstinence.

The Temple of Heaven is an outstanding
representative of Chinese traditional architecture
for its clever design and harmoneous colors.

Inside the Hall of Prayer for Good
Harvest

The pillars inside the hall all have a
meaning: the four in the inner circle represent the
four seasons of the year; the 12 pillars in the
middle circle represent 12 months of the year and
the 12 pillars in the outer circle represent 12 time
periods of the day. The Leigong Pillar under the
center of the ceiling means the absolute power of
the emperor.

Echo Wall

The circular wall surrounding the
Imperial Vault of Heaven is 193.2 meters long, 3.7
meters high and 0.9 meter thick. If one speaks
against the wall at one end another can hear his
voice at other end of it.

Three-Echoes Stone

It is the third stone slab on the path
in front of the Imperial Vault of Heaven. When one
stands on it and claps his hands three or more
echoes seem to emit from the stone. It can cause
such echoes because it is located in the middle
under the Echo Wall. It was made mysterious in the
old days by the rulers to prevent gossiping against
them.

Circular Mound Altar

Also known Heaven Mound Altar, it is
five meters high and of three tiers. Around each
tier there are white marble balusters. During the
Ming and Qing dynasties in early winter the emperor
would come to this mound to pay homage to heaven and
pray for peace and a good harvest.